NASA Named Best Place To Work In Federal Government For 9th Straight Year

For the ninth year in a row, NASA has been awarded as the Best Place to Work in Federal Government. The space agency also ranked first among large agencies for its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, the nonprofit organization Partnership for Public Service and global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group released the 2020 Best Places to Work in Federal Government rankings.

The highest-ranked agency for the ninth consecutive year turned out to be the space agency NASA, followed by the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Budget Office and the Tennessee Valley Authority's Office of Inspector General.

"NASA’s selection as the Best Place to Work in Government for the ninth year in a row is a testament to the dedication and determination of our world-class workforce through the most difficult circumstances our nation has faced in generations,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement.

Data was procured from the responses to the Office of Personnel Management's annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, which was administered from Sept. 14 to Nov. 5, 2020. According to the Government Executive's site, the survey comprised three questions that seek to measure job satisfaction, satisfaction with the organization and the likelihood of the employee to recommend his or her agency as a good place to work.

“The 2020 Best Places to Work data paints a picture of agencies that demonstrated agility and found creative ways for employees to successfully deliver on their missions in mostly remote settings while giving them the flexibility to meet their personal needs,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership.

Among 71 of the federal agencies, however, only 22 ranked above the private sector's score this year.

“The 2020 data makes clear that the federal government still has a lot of work to do to improve its competitiveness with the private sector as an employer of choice,” Stier said. “The government must strive to meet or exceed the private sector when it comes to employee engagement.”